CIS and International Coalition Calls upon Governments to Protect Privacy
On September 20 in Geneva, CIS joined a huge international coalition in calling upon countries across the globe, including India to assess whether national surveillance laws and activities are in line with their international human rights obligations.
The Centre for Internet and Society has endorsed a set of international principles against unchecked surveillance. The 13 Principles set out for the first time an evaluative framework for assessing surveillance practices in the context of international human rights obligations.
A group of civil society organizations officially presented the 13 Principles this past Friday in Geneva at a side event attended by Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, Frank LaRue, during the 24th session of the Human Rights Council. The side event was hosted by the Permanent Missions of Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Hungary.
Elonnai Hickok, Programme Manager at the Centre for Internet and Society has noted that "the 13 Principles are an important first step towards informing governments, corporates, and individuals across jurisdictions, including India, about needed safeguards for surveillance practices and related policies to ensure that they are necessary and proportionate."
Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking at the Human Rights Council stated in her opening statement on September 9:
"Laws and policies must be adopted to address the potential for dramatic intrusion on individuals’ privacy which have been made possible by modern communications technology."
Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking at the event, said that:
"technological advancements have been powerful tools for democracy by giving access to all to participate in society, but increasing use of data mining by intelligence agencies blurs lines between legitimate surveillance and arbitrary mass surveillance."
Frank La Rue, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion made clear the case for a direct relationship between state surveillance, privacy and freedom of expression in this latest report to the Human Rights Council:
"The right to privacy is often understood as an essential requirement for the realization of the right to freedom of expression. Undue interference with individuals’ privacy can both directly and indirectly limit the free development and exchange of ideas. … An infringement upon one right can be both the cause and consequence of an infringement upon the other."
Speaking at the event, the UN Special Rapporteur remarked that:
"previously surveillance was carried out on targeted basis but the Internet has changed the context by providing the possibility for carrying out mass surveillance. This is the danger."
Representatives of the Centre for Internet and Society, Privacy International, the Electronic Frontier Foundation,Access,Human Rights Watch,Reporters Without Borders, Association for Progressive Communications, and theCenter for Democracy and Technology all are taking part in the event.
Find out more about the Principles at https://NecessaryandProportionate.org
Contacts
NGOs currently in Geneva for the 24th Human Rights Council:
Access
Fabiola Carrion: fabiola@accessnow.org
Association for Progressive Communication
Shawna Finnegan: shawna@apc.org
Center for Democracy and Technology
Matthew Shears: mshears@cdt.org
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Katitza Rodriguez: katitza@eff.org - @txitua
Human Rights Watch
Cynthia Wong: wongc@hrw.org
Privacy International
Carly Nyst: carly@privacy.org
Reporters Without Borders
Lucie Morillon: lucie.morillon@rsf.org
Hélène Sackstein: helsack@gmail.com
Signatories
Argentina
Ramiro Alvarez: rugarte@adc.org.ar
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles
Argentina
Beatriz Busaniche: bea@vialibre.org.ar
Fundación Via Libre
Colombia
Carolina Botero: carobotero@gmail.com
Fundación Karisma
Egypt
Ahmed Ezzat: ahmed.ezzat@afteegypt.org
Afteegypt
Honduras
Hedme Sierra-Castro: hedme.sc@gmail.com
ACI-Participa
India
Elonnai Hickok: elonnai@cis-india.org
Center for Internet and Society
Korea
Prof. Park: kyungsinpark@korea.ac.kr
Open Net Korea
Macedonia
Bardhyl Jashari: info@metamorphosis.org.mk
Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society
Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania
Abadacar Diop: jonction_jonction@yahoo.fr
Jonction
Portugal
Andreia Martins: andreia@coolpolitics.pt
ASSOCIAÇÃO COOLPOLITICS
Peru
Miguel Morachimo: morachimo@gmail.com
Hiperderecho
Russia
Andrei Soldatov: soldatov@agentura.ru
Agentura.ru
Serbia
Djordje Krivokapic: krivokapic@gmail.com
SHARE Foundation
Western Balkans
Valentina Pellizer: valentina.pellizzer@oneworldsee.org
Oneworldsee
Brasil
Marcelo Saldanha: instituto@bemestarbrasil.org.br
IBEBrasil
